Chess

By Robert Byrne

Published: January 7, 1992

The Yugoslav Chess Federation had guaranteed the safety of the participants in the women's interzonal tournament in Subotica and it kept its word. Although the explosion of bombs 20 miles away could be heard, the chess competition went off without a hitch.

Boris Gulko, of Fairlawn, N.J., the grandmaster coach of the Americans, wrote, in the Dec. 23 issue of Inside Chess: "I must congratulate the organizers of the 35-player event. Playing conditions were excellent. Yugoslavia is really a chess country."

Actually, that was a snap for the Yugoslavs. While the Subotica tournament was going on from Nov. 8-25, they were host to the Investbanka all-grandmaster tournament in Belgrade from Nov. 16-30. And one of the American participants, Yasser Seirawan of Seattle, wrote in the same issue of Inside Chess: "I'd like to thank the Investbank sponsors and the entire organizing committee. Under difficult conditions, they functioned excellently."

Irina Levitina of Teaneck, N.J., let neither civil war nor opponents' machinations upset her concentration in Subotica. The 37-year-old Soviet emigree former challenger for the women's world championship took one of the qualifying places for the next stage of eliminations to pick a 1993 challenger for Xie Jun of China, the titleholder. In her game with Ketevan Kakhiani of the Soviet Union, Levitina overpowered aggressive thrusts with a punishing counterattack.

The jab with 6 g4 is a typical bayonet attack against the King's Indian Defense. White hopes to strike before Black can get ready; Black hopes to prove that she can survive the first wave and exploit flimsiness in the opponent's formation.